1) Price and reliability are not really related. Not all that long ago I remember reading a review of one of the custom-made 1911's in the $2500+ range that jammed horribly with a variety of loads. On the other hand my approx. $350 Ruger P95 has not had a single malfunction in the 15 years or so that I've had it and the many thousands of rounds I've put through it. Nor have I had a single instance of a malfunction in 3 of 4 Glocks I own. For that matter, I've not had a single malfunction in a cheapish and crudely made Kel-tec P3AT, although I've only put a few hundred rounds through it so far. There is no factor more important in a defensive firearm than reliability. If your firearm proves 100% reliable then it meets the first and most important test of a defensive firearm, regardless of cost or cosmetic features.
2) That said, successfully shooting box after box of Winchester "white box" ammo or other target ammo is not by itself an adequate indicator of a firearm's reliability for defensive use. One must also have evidence that the gun is equally reliable with whatever good quality defensive ammo you would carry outside the range, i.e., hollow points. I fire many boxes of target ammo, but I also periodically run all my magazines of "the good stuff" through each gun also to make sure what I carry on the street equals the target ammo in reliability. It also assures me that I'm always carrying fresh ammo.
3) Once upon a time nearly every pistol made had the potential to fire when dropped. It didn't make them unreliable, but it did make it prudent to load 5 rounds in a six shooter except when combat was imminent. But I have to say intentionally dropping a firearm with live rounds chambered is a highly questionable and dangerous practice. Repeating the experiment after having a single discharge is beyond comprehension. If you insist on abusing your firearms in such a manner, then at least purchase a pack of snap caps to conduct your test. That's why such products are on the market, so you can perform or practice various manipulations of a firearm when live ammo is unsafe to use. Additionally snap caps are great on the range to practice malfunction drills. Have your friend load a snap cap somewhere in the magazine so you don't know when the gun will fail to go "bang" and then practice making smooth tap n' rack malfunction drills.
4) If you happen to drop your gun during a fight then you probably have more to worry about than the just the fact that you might have a gun that discharges when dropped. I suppose it's not a great comfort that such a firearm has an equal chance of hitting a bad guy as it does hitting you or an innocent person.
